If you have a Gmail or Yahoo email account, good news—your email just got safer (and according to Google, less spammy). But if you’re a business with a marketing strategy that involves sending bulk emails (think newsletters or email marketing), listen up.

To further block spam, phishing, and malware threats, Gmail and Yahoo have moved what were previously “best practices” for sending emails into mandatory requirements for bulk senders— anyone sending over 5,000 emails in one day. These include:

• Authenticating emails with DKIM and DMARC (SPF was already required)
• Making unsubscription easier
• Ensuring your emails stay under the spam scoring threshold set by Google or Yahoo

Even if you fall under the 5,000 limit, authenticating your email is a crucial step to make sure it’s hitting inboxes and not spam.

Wondering how you’d do it?

Fully authenticating requires updating three Domain Name System (DNS) Records that are connected to your website. Here are the records you need to configure by February 1st:

1. Sender Policy Framework (SPF): Think of this like a passport for your email. This record says who you are and where your emails should be coming from. This record prevents services you haven’t approved from pretending to be you. It also lets the ones you have approved (like your newsletter service) send emails as you, without getting spam filtered.
2. DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM): This record is similar to SPF but even more secure. Think of this like the signature on your passport. DKIM is the virtual signature that shows your emails are from an authorized sender and haven’t been tampered with.
3. Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC): Think of this like a customs agent. The DMARC record (agent) has a set of rules they check over to ensure your SPF and DKIM are correct. If not, it won’t let you into the country (OK, it won’t let you receive your emails.) It can also let companies know if someone has stolen their identity and is trying to send emails on their behalf.

Whether you send newsletters through an email marketing platform like MailChimp or send mass emails directly from your inbox, don’t wait to authenticate your domain. Get in touch with your IT Company or your domain administrator (like Array!) to ensure your messages are delivered.